There has been a ton of speculation surrounding Vincent Lecavalier in the past few weeks. The Lightning are cellar-dwelling once again, the economy sucks, and the management team in Tampa couldnít build a team to win a fantasy draft let alone the Stanley Cup. It was only a matter of time until the rumors started. There appears to be offers on the table from Edmonton and Montreal at this time. Many Habs fans are acting almost as he is already in Montreal, but I think people might be clouded by the response Lecavalier received during the All-Star Game. It's all in the honeymoon right now and no one is even married.

The Habs fans and media in Montreal have been so hard on their players and specifically towards those with a French-Canadian heritage. The fans so badly want to return to the days of French Canadian domination and had it for so long that it is expected. What I am saying is that for the short term, Lecavalier would be the Messiah in Montreal. However, he would quickly become a pariah when they do not win. He canít make them win for the next 10 years. Thatís just not going to happen.

I don't think Montreal or Edmonton are on his short list. Not in the least. Why is that??

He's a 6'4". 220 lb, athletic hockey player. In Tampa, to 95% of the population he's just another guy. Just another surfer type strolling down the beach. He can go to work, do his job, and leave it at the rink. As much as hockey guys say they love their fans, they have a life too. In most cases if a guy can switch between his hockey life and regular life easily based on where he lives, he will do it. This was also a huge reason why Gretzky left Edmonton. He couldn't go down to the corner to get a newspaper without being mobbed. Could you imagine Lecavlier on a street corner in Montreal?? They would have to call the cops.

This is even more true with players from (or near) their home town. This past summer I had the pleasure of golfing with a moderately known current NHLer. He is from the same town as The Banger and he ends up knowing people I know. Pure fluke and I donít claim to know him well. However, after the round the group of us had lunch. He said he loves his home town, but canít stay here for long and only stays for about 5 days each summer to see his parents. Most often, he will have his family travel to meet him. When ever he is out in public in his home town, he is asked tons of questions about this and that and when is he coming home to play, etc. He said he has never been out with his family in his home town since he started playing hockey without getting bothered by fans. Interesting part of the story as well, we all (the 7 other guys that golfed that day) took care of the bill at the end of lunch. He said this was the first time that he was not expected to pay for lunch since becoming an NHL player. He plays in a smaller market team in the States and loves it. As he is no super star, he might not have the choice where he plays, but he said that coming home would basically be his last choice.

If Vinny has any say in this at all, Pencil off Edmonton and Montreal. He has donated significant time and money in and around Tampa and he obviously likes it there. From what I found through my research, he rarely goes back to Quebec and spends almost the entire off-season in Tampa. He wants to stay in TB. But, if he was going somewhere, you would have to think that his first choices would be somewhere in California or perhaps places like Boston, New York, Detroit, or Chicago. Sure, some of those places are hockey havens as well, but not to the degree of the Canadian Cities. Those places, he can still blend into the crowd for the most part.

Sorry to say, my friends in Edmonton and Montreal, but you should drop the pitch for Vinny. It just ainít gonna happen.

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